Archive for the ‘Nissan Armada’ Category

For those of you who may be unaware, the Midwest has been under siege this winter, as a series of heavy storms have dropped tons of the white stuff on the regular throughout the region. But while some are freaking out over it, Nissan isn’t deterred, as its got just the right lineup of customized powder machines to make the most of the frozen landscape. Back in 2016, the Japanese brand headed to Chi Town with a trio of tread-equipped SUVs dubbed the Winter Warriors, and now, its returning to the 2018 Chicago Auto Show with more of the good stuff, including this one-off Armada that shows what can be done to beat the winter blues.

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“Nissan loves its winter weather vehicles, and it's not gonna leave its fans out in the cold.”

While the Chicago Auto Show isn’t at the same level as, say, SEMA when it comes to customized rides, it makes sense for Nissan to bring vehicles like the Armada Snow Patrol to this event. After all, Chicago is the best-attended auto show in the nation, and considering the weather the locals have had to endure over the last few months, the suggested extra capability in the white stuff offered by the Armada Snow Patrol will surely not be lost on the audience.

Indeed, Nissan loves its winter weather vehicles, and it’s not gonna leave its fans out in the cold. Joining the Armada in Chicago is a Roadster-turned-snowmobile called the the 370Zki and a snow-plow themed Titan XD Single Cab.

However, the Armada looks to be the most accessible of the bunch, offering a slew of mods that pretty much anyone with a little extra spending cash could add to their own SUV, if they wanted. It all starts with a new suspension kit, which lifts the Armada a full three inches, perfect for dealing with those big overnight dumps. Making the most of the extra tallness is a new wheel and tire package, which is composed of knobby Pro Comp MT2 extreme off-roading tires measured at 35 inches in height, plus 20-inch by 9-inch Cognito Series 61 rollers.

Lots of fresh snow also means that the occasional obstacle (tree stump, sign post, the abandoned hulk of a less-capable vehicle) can be hidden, right up to the moment you drive over it. As such, Nissan threw on a new off-roading front bumper as well, not to mention a winch with a 12,000-pound capacity to yank out any adventurous soul who bit off more than they could chew. New running boards and rock sliders complete the exterior body panel upgrade, while a custom body wrap declares the Snow Patrol’s purpose.

“Lots of fresh snow also means that the occasional obstacle (tree stump, sign post, the abandoned hulk of a less-capable vehicle) can be hidden, right up to the moment you drive over it. As such, Nissan threw on a new off-roading front bumper as well.”

On the roof, you’ll find two ultra-bright light bars to help illuminate the path forward, while a roof rack adds extra practicality. Finally, leather upholstery for the front seats, plus a special “Snow Patrol” embroidery in the seat back, add the cherry on top.

It’s a nice bit of kit, but unfortunately, you won’t find the Snow Patrol on the Armada’s option list any time soon, as this is a one-off kind of affair. Nevertheless, attendees will get a chance to be inspired by the Snow Patrol when they visit Nissan’s Winter Wonderland booth at the Chicago Auto Show. Head over, and you’ll find “white carpeting, snow flurries every 15 minutes or so, adventure-ready Nissan vehicles, and maybe even a pop-up hot chocolate stand on the weekends.” Sounds good.

As a reminder, the Armada is the brand’s flagship SUV, which just saw the second-generation introduced for the 2017 model year. Space for up to eight passengers can be found in the cabin, while 390 horsepower is pumped out from a 5.6-liter V-8 in the nose. Four-wheel drive helps add extra traction when needed.

There must be something about the Chicago Auto Show that brings out Nissan’s creativity. Two years ago, the Japanese automaker unveiled the Winter Warrior Concepts, a collection of outrageously engineered Pathfinder,Murano, and Rogue SUVs that featured snow tracks instead of actual wheels. This year, Nissan is returning to the Windy City with a pair of concepts that might as well be spiritual successors of the Winter Warriors. One of these concepts is a fresh take on the Nissan Armada, called the Snow Patrol. It’s not as outlandish as the Winter Warriors or its present counterpart, the Nissan 370Zki, but the Armada Snow Patrol is unique in its own right for a variety of reasons.

There’s no going around Nissan’s objective with the Armada Snow Patrol. Billy Hayes, the vice president of Nissan North America’s Commercial Vehicles and Trucks, called it a “return to roots” concept for the Armada model. “(The Armada) has a long off-road heritage as the Nissan Patrol, a global expedition vehicle,” he said. “As part of our celebration of winter at the Chicago Auto Show, we wanted to remind our growing family of Armada owners and enthusiasts that this full-size SUV stands ready to take you to the mountains, or at least safely through Chicago streets covered in lake effect snow.”

One look at the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol and you’ll see exactly what Hayes is talking about.

What makes the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol special

“The wheels and tires do come in different forms, specifically as a set of 20-inch Cognito Series 61 satin black wheels wrapped in Pro Comp MT2 off-road tires.”

Unlike the Nissan 370Zki, the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol retains most of its standard features. The wheels, for example, are still there. That said, the wheels and tires do come in different forms, specifically as a set of 20-inch Cognito Series 61 satin black wheels wrapped in Pro Comp MT2 off-road tires. This new wheel-and-tire combo is one of many changes fitted into the SUV.

Up front, the Armada’s standard bumper was also taken out and replaced by an off-road M1A2 bumper with a grille protector bar and a 12,000-pound winch. Five-inch LED fog lights and a double-row LED light bar are also welcome additions to the Armada Snow Patrol, supplied to Nissan by Pro Comp, the same company that provided the wheels, tires, and suspension kit for the Armada. The roof rack, side steps, and rock sliders are also new to the concept, all of which were sourced from supplier Smittybilt. Finishing off the exterior upgrades is a custom Geometric body wrap that comes courtesy of Icon Image Graphics.

“Move inside the interior of the Armada Snow Patrol, and the changes are minimal compared to what we expected”

Move inside the interior of the Armada Snow Patrol, and the changes are minimal compared to what we expected. The seats are now wrapped in premium leather that’s dressed in a fancy shade of Pearl to go along with not-so-fancy cement-colorer perforated inserts and cobalt contrast stitching. An Armada Snow Patrol logo — yes, this concept has a logo of its own — is stitched into the seatbacks. All-weather floor liners are the only other additions to the interior of the Armada Snow Patrol.

On the engine front, the Armada Snow Patrol is still powered by the 5.8-liter V-8 engine as the standard Armada. It’s still good for 390 horsepower and
394 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission, which, in turn, sends all the engine’s power to all four wheels. When properly equipped, Nissan says that the Armada Snow Patrol has a maximum towing capacity of 8,500 pounds.

“The automaker used a suspension lift kit to raise the SUV’s height by two inches in the front and one inch in the back”

The last and arguably most important modification given to the Armada Snow Patrol is in the suspension. In order for the SUV to turn the vehicle Nissan is presenting in Chicago, the automaker used a suspension lift kit to raise the SUV’s height by two inches in the front and one inch in the back. The result is an Armada that can justify its label as a true winter wonder ride.

There must be something about the Chicago Auto Show that brings out Nissan’s creativity. Two years ago, the Japanese automaker unveiled the Winter Warrior Concepts, a collection of outrageously engineered Pathfinder,Murano, and Rogue SUVs that featured snow tracks instead of actual wheels. This year, Nissan is returning to the Windy City with a pair of concepts that might as well be spiritual successors of the Winter Warriors. One of these concepts is a fresh take on the Nissan Armada, called the Snow Patrol. It’s not as outlandish as the Winter Warriors or its present counterpart, the Nissan 370Zki, but the Armada Snow Patrol is unique in its own right for a variety of reasons.

There’s no going around Nissan’s objective with the Armada Snow Patrol. Billy Hayes, the vice president of Nissan North America’s Commercial Vehicles and Trucks, called it a “return to roots” concept for the Armada model. “(The Armada) has a long off-road heritage as the Nissan Patrol, a global expedition vehicle,” he said. “As part of our celebration of winter at the Chicago Auto Show, we wanted to remind our growing family of Armada owners and enthusiasts that this full-size SUV stands ready to take you to the mountains, or at least safely through Chicago streets covered in lake effect snow.”

One look at the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol and you’ll see exactly what Hayes is talking about.

What makes the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol special

“The wheels and tires do come in different forms, specifically as a set of 20-inch Cognito Series 61 satin black wheels wrapped in Pro Comp MT2 off-road tires.”

Unlike the Nissan 370Zki, the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol retains most of its standard features. The wheels, for example, are still there. That said, the wheels and tires do come in different forms, specifically as a set of 20-inch Cognito Series 61 satin black wheels wrapped in Pro Comp MT2 off-road tires. This new wheel-and-tire combo is one of many changes fitted into the SUV.

Up front, the Armada’s standard bumper was also taken out and replaced by an off-road M1A2 bumper with a grille protector bar and a 12,000-pound winch. Five-inch LED fog lights and a double-row LED light bar are also welcome additions to the Armada Snow Patrol, supplied to Nissan by Pro Comp, the same company that provided the wheels, tires, and suspension kit for the Armada. The roof rack, side steps, and rock sliders are also new to the concept, all of which were sourced from supplier Smittybilt. Finishing off the exterior upgrades is a custom Geometric body wrap that comes courtesy of Icon Image Graphics.

“Move inside the interior of the Armada Snow Patrol, and the changes are minimal compared to what we expected”

Move inside the interior of the Armada Snow Patrol, and the changes are minimal compared to what we expected. The seats are now wrapped in premium leather that’s dressed in a fancy shade of Pearl to go along with not-so-fancy cement-colorer perforated inserts and cobalt contrast stitching. An Armada Snow Patrol logo — yes, this concept has a logo of its own — is stitched into the seatbacks. All-weather floor liners are the only other additions to the interior of the Armada Snow Patrol.

On the engine front, the Armada Snow Patrol is still powered by the 5.8-liter V-8 engine as the standard Armada. It’s still good for 390 horsepower and
394 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission, which, in turn, sends all the engine’s power to all four wheels. When properly equipped, Nissan says that the Armada Snow Patrol has a maximum towing capacity of 8,500 pounds.

“The automaker used a suspension lift kit to raise the SUV’s height by two inches in the front and one inch in the back”

The last and arguably most important modification given to the Armada Snow Patrol is in the suspension. In order for the SUV to turn the vehicle Nissan is presenting in Chicago, the automaker used a suspension lift kit to raise the SUV’s height by two inches in the front and one inch in the back. The result is an Armada that can justify its label as a true winter wonder ride.

The gates are open at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, and with those pesky journalists finally out of the way, the public can now enjoy all the vehicular goodness that North America’s “largest” auto show can muster. Special editions, refreshes, and brand-new models all dropped cover this year, with crossovers and SUVs served up as the main course, and new sedans and sports cars added as a tasty side dish. Picking winners and losers here is not exactly easy, but hey, this isn’t some elementary school talent show. Time to be ruthless.

There were a few clear standouts for Best In Show right from the start, but cutthroat competition to fill the remaining slots quickly followed. Picking vehicles for Worst In Show was also pretty tricky, but that’s why they pay me the big bucks.

What the Middle Easterns have known and loved for years as the Nissan Patrol is now gearing up for a mid-2016 launch in America as the 2017 Nissan Armada. This big, beefy SUV is Nissan’s answer to Toyota’s iconic Land Cruiser, and it has one of the coolest car names ever.

Just as the name suggests, Nissan Armada is a roughty toughty car designed to take you and your entire family across swamps and deserts in utmost comfort and safety. The SUV is based on the Titan full-size pickup truck and has a 390-horsepower 5.6-liter Endurance V8 with a 7-speed automatic transmission, although all-wheel-drive depends on the trim level you select.

But if you option your 2017 Nissan Armada well, not only do you get all-wheel-drive, you also get high-end features such as Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW), Blind Spot Intervention (BSI), Backup Collision Intervention (BCI) Around View Monitor (AVM) with Moving Object Detection (MOD), Nissan Navigation with NavTraffic and NavWeather information, 8.0-inch color display, heated front seats and 13-speaker Bose audio system.

What’s more, being primarily designed for the Mid East market, the car comes with seating configuration with room for up to eight passengers (people have large families in that part of the world) and Dual-Zone Automatic Temperature Control system with a second row curtain vent (the weather sucks over there). Other notable convenience features include 12-volt power outlet at rear of console, nine cupholders, four bottle holders, power door locks with illuminated switches and anti-lockout system.

We’re still a day away from the official launch of the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, but Nissan is getting an early start with the unveiling of the new 2017 Armada. Now entering its second generation, the flagship full-size SUV receives significant updates to the exterior, interior, and drivetrain, all of which fall in line with additional refreshes seen across Nissan’s crossover/SUV lineup.

Let’s start with the exterior, which gets a new look upfront with a chromed-out V-motion grille. The headlights are fitted with LEDs for the low beams and daytime running lights as standard, and you’ll find LEDs used in the taillights as well.

Customers will have three trim levels to choose from: SV, SL, and Platinum.

The spacious, eight-passenger interior was also redesigned, and Nissan claims a “library level” of interior noise at idle thanks to new acoustic glass and additional sound deadening material. Standard features include the Nissan Navigation system with NavTraffic and NavWeather, as well as an 8.0-inch display screen, heated front seats, and a 13-speaker Bose sound system. There’s fresh safety tech as well, such as Forward Collision Warning, Blind Spot Intervention, Backup Collision Intervention, Around View Monitor, Intelligent Cruise Control, and Lane Departure Warning.

Both two-wheel- and four-wheel-drive are available. Power comes from an updated 5.6-liter Endurance V-8 engine, which now comes equipped with a new fuel injection system and variable valve system for even more output – up to 390 horsepower, besting the outgoing model’s 317 by a whopping 73 ponies. A new seven-speed automatic gearbox replaces the outgoing five-speed automatic. Standard towing capacity is rated at 8,500 pounds.

Expect the 2017 Armada to go on sale this summer, but you can see it now at the Chicago Auto Show. We’ll be bringing you all the latest from CAS, so stay tuned!